Welcome to MedGuide.  We are an ever, and rapidly, growing project by medical students at Warwick University.  We have just passed the first year of the MBChB here and we have one thing to say: the course is rewarding, but it’s hard. 

It truly is two years of science content, aimed at people with science qualifications, in 25 weeks – with a considerable percent of the cohort rusty with core science at best.  This was always going to be a trial by fire, be you a biomed or classics graduate. We all struggle at times.  

That’s fine.  Resilience and grit is the name of the game.  With such a sheer array of skills to master: maths, stats, physiology, anatomy, latin and greek terminology, social population, ethics, law, values, clinical skills, bedside teaching, taking a patient’s history, comforting, breaking bad news, public speaking … on and on … nobody on earth will excel at them all – especially not at the start.  We are all knocked down a peg or two in Phase One. It is humbling, but that should be constructive, not destructive. Its about the mindset.

 

Two things differentiate Warwick from other medical students: the number of graduate medics and the vitality of its peer support.  We hope that you come, as we have, to thrive off of this peer support – and, when its your turn very soon – pay it forward to the next generation of medics.  In this light, as we build the rest of MedGuide (we already have 800 practice questions for you to drill in assisting you with Phase One that has really impressed a great number of faculty at WMS), we hope that you will join us – contribute to some question writing, help us film some videos, help us make the website, spread the message and most importantly – USE THE WEBSITE for your learning and revision: test yourself over and over so that when it comes to the actual summative examination, you have your game face on and can walk in with confidence.  Use the virtue of the time you have now to your advantage, and know by using and helping MedGuide, you’re not only helping yourself, but many, many others.  

See you soon, and we hope you enjoy this course of six videos covering things as diverse as bones, muscles, X-rays, urethras, kidneys, lungs and vaginas!  

Happy summer, 

MedGuide 2019

 

We got to thinking: what could make it a little less scary?  So a few of us threw around some ideas, and we eventually landed on something quite simple, but really effective: a video series, with multiple choice questions, testing the content we wish we had known before coming to WMS.  So nice and simply, what this course is, is the stuff that we wish we’d known before coming here. Its a scaffold onto which you can build information. This should help you with retention, information processing and lessen the cognitive burden as you progress through Phase I.  

Written by a team of teachers with a passion for medical education, who have just gone through these exams nice – ish – and fresh, we hope that it can be of real benefit to you – whilst being a little amusing and relaxing!  There is no pressure to complete these videos.  There is no pressure to get full marks.  This is to enable you to sit in your room, a coffee shop or meet with friends and go through the “high yield” golden nuggets of information that should give you a running head-start.

Daniel Mercer

Daniel Mercer

Co-Founder of MedGuide

Daniel is an anatmoist, MBChB student at Warwick and has a BSc (Hons) in Anatomy and Human Biology from the University of Liverpool.  Daniel is studying medicine becuase he wishes to be a medical eductor and neurologist.  His passion lies in MedEd, technological resources and neurological basis of disease.  He has his fingers in many pies – as an author of MedGuide’s well-received Physiology Workbook, a committee member of the Ophthalmology Society, an editor of TeachMeAnatomy, MCQ writer for Geeky Medics and former host of KenHub, Daniel spent three years between his degrees working as Ophthlamic Practitioner and then as a dispatcher of Ambulances.

His blog, where he tries to remember ot journal about his medical school life, is here.

Also find him as @dannymercer93 on Instagram, @danny_mercer on Twitter, or connect via LinkedIn with the icon below:

David Tuffley

David Tuffley

Senior Contributor to MedGuide

David is a medical student at Warwick. He has a BSc (Hons) in Biology from Bristol University and spent a year before coming to WMS as a Theatre Support Worker.  He is as passionate for medical education as he is for pre-hospital and acute medicine.  His favourite part of first year was anatomy and he is very much looking forward to expanding MedGuide’s growing question bank with preclinical and clinical content.  Dave is also a leading proponent for the MedPod – premiering next academic year – which will feature a fly-on-the-wall of how medical students figure through presenting complaints, to assist us all in how to think like a physician.

Video One

Intro to Anatomy and Imaging

In this video, Dave takes you on a quick tour of the different anatomical planes and directions before some key terminology.  Then its having a look at some of the common clinical imaging techniques.  Enjoy!

Video Two

Muskuloskeletal System 

In this video, Dan and Dave run through the major bones of the body – including a few clinical correlates you’ll encounter throughout the first year.  Grab a pen and get ready!

Video Three

Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems

In this video, Dan introduces you to blood vessels, the basic structure of the heart and the tracheobronchial tree with lungs.  We will have a look at some clinical skills, using a stethoscope and some great plastic models of anatomy too.

Video Four

Gastrointestinal System

In this video, Dave takes you through the journey of the GI tract from mouth to anus, covering a brief nod to its overall structure and some primers on function too.  A really good initial orienter.

Video Five

Haematology and Immunology

In this video, Dan takes you through the bits that float about in the blood.  He then talks about different clinical conditions, and how the blood tells a story before speaking about the different types of immune response dependent upon the baddie present.

Video Six

Genitourinary Systems

In this brief video, both Dan and Dave finish the series together by talking about the path of urine from kidney to the outside world.  We then touch on the difference of anatomy of the internal and external genitals of the male and female.

If you are still dying for more to do this summer then here’s a few things that are amazing to get stuck into: 

  • Books: Anything by Siddhartha Mukherjee, Rachel Clarke, Henry Marsh, Lisa Sanders, Oliver Sacks, Sue Black, Carla Valentine and Adam Kay.  
  • Textbooks: Tortora’s Human Physiology, Guyton and Hall’s Medical Physiology, Moore’s Essential Clinical Anatomy, The Human Anatomy Colouring Book. 
  • Podcasts: NPR’s Hidden Brain, The Peter Attia Drive, Radiolab, RCP Medicine Podcast, Dr. Matt and Dr. Mike’s Medical Podcast, Healthcare Triage and Anatomy Education Podcast
  • Videos: Marian Diamond’s Fall 2005 Class on Introduction to Anatomy (entire UC Berkeley series on YouTube), Crash Course A&P (entire course on YouTube), Armando Hasudungan (catalogue on YouTube), Osmosis (dwindling catalogue on YouTube as they move to subscriber model)
  • Website: TeachMeAnatomy, Geeky Medics, MedGuide!!!!
  • Open Access Articles worth reading: 
    • “Is Healthcare a Right?” by Atul Gawande [link]
    • The Atlantic’s Collection of some great Oliver Sacks’ essays [link]
    • Guardian interview with Henry Marsh [link]
    • Lisa Sanders’ (aka the consulting Doctor for House MD) regular diagnosis mystery column in the NYT [link]
    • “The Jail Healthcare Crisis” from The New Yorker [link]
    • “Why Measles is a Quintessential Political Issue for Our Time” from The New Yorker [link]
    • “UTIs Affect Millions.  The Cures Are Faltering.” from The New York Times [link]
    • “Undercover in a Hospital Bed” from The New York Times [link]
    • “Chasing My Shadow as a Cancer Patient in Talk Therapy” from The New York Times [link]
    • “How Australia Could Almost Eradicate HIV Transmission” from The New York Times [link]
    • “When Patients Need Opiates to Ease the Pain” from The New York Times [link]
    • The whole – haha – blog by the wonderful Professor Alice Roberts [link]

But make sure, most importantly, to enjoy your summer.  This course was designed to be: the maximal utility of stuff in the shortest amount of time so you can take some time to chill and do whatever you want.  Make sure you’re happy with the learning outcomes of each video and we will see you tanned and ready for Phase One in September!

If you are interested in medical education and would like a good CV – haha – then you should write questions for us, or appear on the Pod, during your time at University.  Be you a medical, dental, nursing, physiotherapy, PA, paramedic or whatever student … we are a wide open tent and the bigger the staff, the better!  Come join us!  

Click here for more information. 

We are MedGuide. A growing question bank, PreMed course, Podcast, Physiology Workbook, video channel and much more besides.  Support by, and for, medical students is the name of our game, meeting the cohort where they are: online.

Consider this the on-demand player of medical education.

Click here for more information.